Preparation of tamarind fruit seed activated carbon by microwave heating for the adsorptive treatment of landfill leachate: A laboratory column evaluation

• Published in: Bioresource technology 2013-04, Vol.133, p.599-605
• Main Authors: Foo, K.Y., Lee, L.K., Hameed, B.H.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adsorbents; Adsorption; Adsorptivity; Ammonical nitrogen; Biodegradation, Environmental; Biological and medical sciences; Biological Oxygen Demand Analysis; Charcoal - chemistry; Chemical oxygen demand; Crack opening displacement; Fluid flow; Fruit - chemistry; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Hydraulics; Laboratories; Landfill leachate; Landfills; Mathematical models; Microwave; Microwaves; Models, Theoretical; Nitrogen - isolation & purification; Porosity; Seeds; Seeds - chemistry; Tamarind fruit seed; Tamarindus - chemistry; Tamarindus indica; Water Pollutants, Chemical - isolation & purification; Water Purification - methods
• ISSN: 0960-8524; 1873-2976
• DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2013.01.097

[Display omitted] ► Highlight the renewable use of tamarind fruit seed. ► Explore the efficient use of microwave irradiation. ► To examine the physical and chemical characteristics of the adsorbent. ► To evaluate the potential for the adsorptive treatment of landfill leachate. ► Outline the dynamic adsorption models. The preparation of tamarind fruit seed granular activated carbon (TSAC) by microwave induced chemical activation for the adsorptive treatment of semi-aerobic landfill leachate has been attempted. The chemical and physical properties of TSAC were examined. A series of column tests were performed to determine the breakthrough characteristics, by varying the operational parameters, hydraulic loading rate (5–20mL/min) and adsorbent bed height (15–21cm). Ammonical nitrogen and chemical oxygen demand (COD), which provide a prerequisite insight into the prediction of leachate quality was quantified. Results illustrated an encouraging performance for the adsorptive removal of ammonical nitrogen and COD, with the highest bed capacity of 84.69 and 55.09mg/g respectively, at the hydraulic loading rate of 5mL/min and adsorbent bed height of 21cm. The dynamic adsorption behavior was satisfactory described by the Thomas and Yoon–Nelson models. The findings demonstrated the applicability of TSAC for the adsorptive treatment of landfill leachate.